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Definition of Table of Specifications

The Table of Specifications (TOS) is an educational assessment tool that aligns test items with learning objectives, ensuring content coverage and cognitive skill measurement. It offers advantages such as improved validity and balanced testing but can be time-consuming and limit creativity. TOS construction involves identifying learning outcomes, determining item distribution, and balancing cognitive levels based on instructional time.

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20 views

Definition of Table of Specifications

The Table of Specifications (TOS) is an educational assessment tool that aligns test items with learning objectives, ensuring content coverage and cognitive skill measurement. It offers advantages such as improved validity and balanced testing but can be time-consuming and limit creativity. TOS construction involves identifying learning outcomes, determining item distribution, and balancing cognitive levels based on instructional time.

Uploaded by

sugarplumhoneybunch.2002
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Definition of Table of Specifications (TOS)

Table of Specifications (TOS), a tool used in educational assessment to align test


items with learning objectives. It ensures that assessments measure the intended
content and cognitive skills. TOS also validates response processes, ensuring
assessments match the type of thinking (e.g., memorization, analysis) expected.
Teachers use it to decide test structure and item distribution based on
instructional time and cognitive demand.

Advantages of a Table of Specification (TOS):

Alignment: Ensures that test items match learning objectives


Content Coverage: Ensures all important topics are included in assessments.
Balanced Testing: Distributes test items fairly across different topics and
cognitive levels.
Improved Validity: Helps create tests that accurately measure intended learning
outcomes.
Consistency: Provides a structured framework for creating assessments,
reducing bias.

Disadvantages of a Table of Specification (TOS):


Time-consuming: Requires significant planning and preparation.
Rigidity: Can limit flexibility in testing formats.
Overemphasis on Quantification: May focus too much on numbers rather than
deep understanding
Complex to Develop: Challenging for inexperienced teachers to create.
Limits Creativity: Reduces opportunities for creative or unconventional
assessment methods.

Key Components:
1. Learning competencies: specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes students
should demonstrate.
2. Objectives: clear statements of what students should learn.
3. Coverage: topics or content to be assessed.
4. Breadth: range of knowledge and skills measured.
5. Depth: level of complexity and cognitive demand.

One-way of Table of Specifications (TOS)


Only the basic components of the equation are needed and the placement of the
test items in the test is created.
The test is designed primarily based on the content or the objectives.

STEPS IN CONSTRUCTING TOS

1. Identify the coverage /topic/learning outcomes to be included in the test/exam.


2. Decide on the number of items to give in the test.
3. Review the number of hours spent in teaching the whole unit.
4. Decide how many items should be put for each objective.
5. Decide what item number you will assign for questions or items covering the
particular objective.

Two Way of Table of Specifications (TOS)

The test is designed to reflect the level of cognitive behavior targeted per test
content based on the theory behind cognitive testing. For example, the common
framework for testing at present in the DepEd classroom assessment policy is
the revised Bloom’s taxonomy (DepEd, 2015 & 2020)

STEPS IN CONSTRUCTING TWO WAY


1. Determine the coverage/ topics and competencies. Prepare the learning
outcomes included in the test/exam.
2. Determine the number of hours you are allotted on each topic.
3. Determine the total number of test items.
4. determine the total number of items per topic.
5. Adjust or balance by either adding or subtracting ( any of the topic totals) so
that the sum will amount to the desired number of test items.
6. Scatter the items per topic per domain.
- Determine the number of items per complexity/ level of cognitive domain. In this
case, we already have a pre-computed value of 30-20-20-10-10-10
7. on the basis of your experience or analysis start allocating the items with
respect to the total number of items per topic beginning with the higher-order
thinking domains down to remembering. It is suggested that the order complexity
from creating to remembering is not altered.

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